# Mathrubhumi vs Risala Update

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Risala Update at 94% against Mathrubhumi's 18%. Risala Update also leads on ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs ad-supported). Mathrubhumi's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.3) and ratings volume (17 vs 4). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Mathrubhumi holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 17 and 4 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 18% of Mathrubhumi's written reviews are positive against 94% of Risala Update's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Mathrubhumi | Risala Update |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (17 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mathrubhumi/id520404360/reviews)** | [4.3 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/risala-update/id6449769617/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **17** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | 17.9% of reviews | **94.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | **Free** |
| Size | 28 MB | 30 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **16.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [MATHRUBHUMI PRINTING AND PUBLISHING COMPANY LIMITED](https://appshunter.io/developer/730031659) | [Jahfar Sadique CN](https://appshunter.io/developer/1690552290) |

## What reviewers say

### Mathrubhumi

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mathrubhumi/id520404360)

Access the latest news from Kerala and around the world in both Malayalam and English. This app offers a reader-friendly layout for easy navigation on smartphones, with offline viewing capabilities and multimedia content.

**Highlights:** Latest Kerala news in Malayalam and English, Regional and international news updates, Multimedia content (videos, photos, cartoons), Offline news viewing, Bookmark saving for favorite articles, Easy sharing of news content

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- ✨ Clean app design
- 🚀 Real-time news updates
- 👍 Improving feature set
- 📰 Good app for news
- 👍 Reader-friendly app

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐌 Slow loading times
- 💥 Frequent crashes
- 😠 Annoying ads
- ❌ Update prompts persist
- 📉 Poor performance

**Reported bugs**

- App is slow and hangs
- App shows update prompt repeatedly
- Push notification deep linking fails
- Unable to open news articles after update
- Pages not loading after update

**Requested features**

- Audio news feature
- Improve dark mode
- Add e-paper
- Background radio playback
- Improve video playback controls


### Risala Update

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/risala-update/id6449769617)

This news app amplifies the voices of Malayali expatriates, fostering a mass movement and influencing ideologically informed politics. It's recognized as a radical medium for building a new cultural order.

**Highlights:** Amplifies expatriate voices, Drives political discourse, Fosters cultural change, Radical information medium

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Mathrubhumi free?

Mathrubhumi is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Risala Update free?

Risala Update is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Mathrubhumi or Risala Update?

Mathrubhumi is rated higher. Mathrubhumi averages 4.7 out of 5 from 17 ratings, while Risala Update averages 4.3 from 4 ratings.

### Do Mathrubhumi or Risala Update have ads?

Mathrubhumi shows ads; Risala Update does not.

### Which is updated more often, Mathrubhumi or Risala Update?

Mathrubhumi ships an update every 3 weeks, and Risala Update every 3 weeks. Most recently, Mathrubhumi was updated on October 12, 2026 and Risala Update on October 9, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*